Glodok Chinatown in Jakarta
Part of the Jakarta travel guide — see every topic in All Jakarta Guides.
Glodok has been Jakarta's Chinese quarter since 1740, when the Dutch confined the surviving Chinese population there after a massacre in the city. It is now a dense, working district immediately south of Kota Tua: herbal medicine shops, gold merchants, wet markets, temples wedged between shophouses, and an alley food scene that is among the best in Indonesia. Very few foreign visitors go, which is part of what makes it worth an hour or three.
Petak Sembilan
The main market lane and the heart of it: a narrow covered alley of stalls selling live fish and frogs, herbs, dried goods, fruit and Chinese-Indonesian snacks, opening onto side lanes with more of the same. Gang Gloria, running off it, is the food alley — Kopi Es Tak Kie has been serving iced coffee since 1927, and the surrounding stalls do bakmi, pork satay, kwetiau and rice porridge. It is cramped, loud and entirely local. Go in the morning when the market is working.
The temples
Jin De Yuan, dating in its present form to the eighteenth century, is the oldest Chinese temple in Jakarta and one of the oldest in Indonesia; it burned in 2015 and has been rebuilt. Nearby sit smaller Buddhist and Taoist halls, several of them tucked behind shopfronts and easy to miss. Around Chinese New Year the whole district is decorated, lion dances run through the streets and the temples are thick with incense — the best time of year to come.
The food
This is the reason to be here. Glodok is where Chinese-Indonesian cooking is most concentrated: bakmi egg noodles, kwetiau, bakso, roast pork, lumpia, rice porridge with a dozen toppings, and the Indonesian-Chinese sweets you will not see elsewhere. Note the halal distinction: much of Glodok is non-halal and pork is everywhere, in a way that is unusual for Indonesia. Prices are low — a full meal is 25,000–60,000 rupiah — and cash is essential.
Practicalities
Glodok is a short walk south of Fatahillah Square, or a stop on the KRL and TransJakarta networks. Go in the morning; the market thins by mid-afternoon. The lanes are narrow, wet and crowded, so wear closed shoes and carry a bag in front. This is a residential and commercial district rather than an attraction, so ask before photographing people and shops. Combine it with Kota Tua and Sunda Kelapa for a full northern morning.
Glodok Chinatown at a glance
| Established | 1740 — the oldest Chinatown in Indonesia |
|---|---|
| The market | Petak Sembilan; Gang Gloria for the food alley |
| Since 1927 | Kopi Es Tak Kie — iced coffee |
| Oldest temple | Jin De Yuan, rebuilt after a 2015 fire |
| Meal cost | IDR 25,000–60,000; cash only |
| Best time | Morning; Chinese New Year for the spectacle |